An observation about Jake Hammond

[Norm Peterson]

I was happy for Andrew White getting a career high in scoring against Penn State.  Glynn Watson had another good game.  Nick Fuller got another nice dunk.  Lots of players to be happy for.

 

But there was one moment that really brought a lump to my throat.  And I thought it deserved its own thread because of what it said about this team.

 

My memory isn't perfect about exactly when the moment happened.  I think Jake Hammond had just grabbed a rebound, pumped to get the defender in the air, drew the foul and scored a put-back basket.  And then a timeout on the floor before the freethrow.

 

And when Jake Hammond came over to the bench, the reaction from his teammates was absolutely priceless.

 

I wish I had video of Anton Gill's interaction with Jake when he greeted him off the bench.  And Shavon's.  The other guys in the area, too, but mostly those two stood out.

 

You could see not just how happy Jake was, but also how happy all the guys were FOR Jake.  It was like they were helping to lift a big-ass monkey off of Jake's back and they were almost more excited than Jake was.

 

Special moment.  It was cool to watch.

[brfrad]

I think the fans were also happy for him.  I know I was.  He got a huge ovation when he got taken out after the free throw.  I am really happy for him.  I know he has the capability to play in the Big 10, and he just has to know that he can play like that.  Plus, he has to really work on his grades.  It can't be a coincidence that Miles benched him right around the end of the first semester, and now says that he had some personal things to work on.

[49r]

I jumped out of my seat when he got his defender in the air and went up strong, even before the dunk I was yelling "AND 1"!!!

 

Yeah, that was an exciting moment and like brfrad said, I think everyone in the arena was super stoked for the kid.

 

You see flashes from him here and there.  I think if he sticks with it and works hard he can end up having a pretty nice career at NU.

[Fullbacksympathy]

You know I'm team Hammond... I can see why his outside crap has kept him off the court.  Assuming that's in line, I'd really like to see us leave him out there and gain some experience.  We are a lot better defensively in the post when he's in the game.  I'd love to see us roll out an actual 4 (Mike/Ed?) and 5 (Jake) at the same time at some point.  I really don't think they'd get dominated at all.  

[Norm Peterson]

You know I'm team Hammond... I can see why his outside crap has kept him off the court. Assuming that's in line, I'd really like to see us leave him out there and gain some experience. We are a lot better defensively in the post when he's in the game. I'd love to see us roll out an actual 4 (Mike/Ed?) and 5 (Jake) at the same time at some point. I really don't think they'd get dominated at all.

With Shavon out and Ed slowed, you're probably going to see a lot more Hammond. Hopefully he continues to play well and earn minutes. I like Jake at the 5 and Jacobson at the 4.

[Huskerpapa]

I jumped out of my seat when he got his defender in the air and went up strong, even before the dunk I was yelling "AND 1"!!!

 

Yeah, that was an exciting moment and like brfrad said, I think everyone in the arena was super stoked for the kid.

 

You see flashes from him here and there.  I think if he sticks with it and works hard he can end up having a pretty nice career at NU.

Amen...I was sooo pumped.  Maybe, just maybe, he turned the corner.

[Silverbacked1]

Tim also said that Jabocson told him to keep playing Jake when Tim wanted him in. Guys playing and helping each other is a great thing to see.

[AuroranHusker]

Tim also said that Jabocson told him to keep playing Jake when Tim wanted him in. Guys playing and helping each other is a great thing to see.

 

Team camaraderie is a beautiful thing. Missing element last season, IMHO.

[khoock]

I love seeing Hammond and Fuller have good games. Hardworking kids that get a lot of criticism on this team. Let's all not forget that they are only sophomores.

[AuroranHusker]

Hammond was doubting himself. Lacking confidence B1G-time. Same might have occurred for Fuller at times. Sophomore slump, it seemed. They both had incredibly poor starts to their FT shooting this season. The two of 'em started 0-8 one game earlier this season combined. Hopefully the proverbial 'light' was switched for Hammond & Fuller. Looking forward to a more full Fuller as well as Hammond-time! GBR

[doc1394]

Boy was Hammond happy when he got that ovation when he came off. He looked like he was trying to keep from smiling and just couldn't. Fun to see someone so happy.

[hhcmatt]

It would be nice to see Hammer have another complete game as he's had 1.5 in the last 2 games.

Bryant and Bielfeldt will be a tough test.

[PimpMario]

I was happy for Hammond. Hopefully he can parlay this into becoming a bigger contributor next year.

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